Sunday, September 23, 2007

Travelogue: Promise broken!

Since I didn’t have a camera I didn’t really take too long to complete the trip past all the wax figures; I was soon out on the streets having busted $30 within an hour and without any pictures to treasure later in life! I kept up my promise and walked to Central Park – it was a good 25 plus streets away but I didn’t have any choice. I really wanted to take the metro but didn’t want to break my promise. I was fatigued when I reached the entrance to Central Park and I knew there was no way I could complete a stroll inside the Park – it was just too huge an area to cover. The place was crowded and this was another area for public display of affection and love! Since it was a little sunny today some people used the park like a beach to tan themselves. Skating, walking, jogging, bicycling, etc. were all to be seen in this Park. There was also an ice rink somewhere inside but I decided to come back another day. One thing I really admired in New York was the availability of so much of green space in the heart of the city. Even with all the bustling around it was a beautiful atmosphere to work in – or even study in one of the parks. And all the parks were very well maintained. People might say this is a hectic bustling city but if you wanted to spend some quality time then the city did provide you with ample space for it. I wished our house were closer to the city – I would have spent most of my time in these parks!

It was almost 5pm and I was far away from the bus terminus – my legs became very stiff just thinking of walking all the way back. I had to take the metro; I had to break my promise; my body just wouldn’t be able to walk back – the mind is willing but the flesh is weak!

When you enter the metro (subway), you need to swipe an electronic pass in which $2 would be deducted. Each entry into the subway costs $2. I had to go downtown but found all directions leading uptown. For a minute I was worried that probably for downtown I had to get into some other subway entry – but walking a few yards further in the tiny subway station I found a board which read “downtown”. What a relief!

My first metro ride alone was pleasant and enjoyable. It hardly took 5 minutes to return back to Times Square. I spent some time in the huge Toys R US shop before heading back home. It was a three storey shop with some fascinating lego structures as well as a small Ferris wheel. Toys are always fun irrespective of age!

Though I was alone in the bus ride back home I still couldn’t prevent myself from dozing off! But fortunately it was for just a few minutes. What a day – I had traveled alone by walk, by bus and by train. Yipee…

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